On this week’s news update…

NASA Rocket Launch

NASA plans a trip back to the Moon…

Extreme Weather Events

Extreme weather events around the world…

Wave Power

And using the power of ocean waves.

First up…

Astronauts last set foot on the Moon in 1972.

“This … this one right here?”

“That’s it, you got it right there.”

Now, 50 years later, NASA is planning to send humans back to our lunar neighbor.

Artemis I

NASA’s Artemis I mission will launch a rocket with the aim of safely carrying a spacecraft to the Moon and back.

This mission will serve as a preparation for future astronaut-led flights.

So, although the spacecraft is designed to carry humans, only dummies will take part in the test launch.

The rocket was due to launch on August 29, but this was canceled due to engineering issues.

It was then rescheduled to take off on September 3, but a fuel leak made it unsafe to do so.

While canceling the launches is disappointing, it’s more important to ensure that everything is working properly to give the mission the best chance of success.

When the Artemis I launch eventually goes ahead, NASA hopes it will be a giant leap toward sending astronauts back to the Moon–and beyond!

Up next…

This past summer has seen extreme weather events occurring around the world.

In China, drought caused rivers to dry up; in Pakistan, high rainfall led to floods and landslides; and across the United States and Europe, intense heat waves triggered forest fires.

Extreme weather events can have devastating impacts on people’s lives; and aside from the direct damage, there are often knock-on effects too.

Low levels of rainfall make growing crops more difficult, reducing food supplies; and high temperatures can lead to people using more electricity, which reduces energy supplies—causing widespread blackouts.

Unfortunately, climate change is making weather events like these more frequent and more extreme, so we need to use our science and engineering skills to find inventive ways of decreasing carbon emissions and reducing the impacts of climate change.

And finally…

Finding renewable energy sources is a big part of tackling climate change.

Ocean waves are a renewable energy source that don’t produce carbon emissions.

Now, engineers from Cyprus have designed and built a device that can convert the energy from these waves into electricity.

The wave energy generator is designed to float on the ocean’s surface.

As waves pass the device, it moves up and down.

This makes lever arms move, which power up generators that produce electricity.

The more waves there are, the more electricity is generated.

Engineers have built prototypes of the wave energy generator—and successfully tested them.

The next step is to scale up their design so it can help to power the world.

That’s all for this week—we’ll see you next time!